“Safety” is a value that’s often mentioned when we talk about company culture.
A safe environment is essential if we want to learn from everything that doesn’t go the way we planned.
I’m intentionally avoiding the word “mistake,” because if we’re learning from something, if something is evolving, if we’re moving something forward – then maybe it’s no longer a mistake.
Naming what didn’t work. Giving open feedback, and being able to receive it. Not feeling threatened by all of this – that’s only possible in a safe environment.
And only in a safe environment can I be authentic. Only in a safe environment can I start experimenting, searching, and learning.
But let’s go a bit deeper. What does a “safe environment” actually mean?
Feeling safe means not feeling fear.
And fear is something that exists only inside each of us.
So when we talk about a safe environment in a company, what we really mean is an environment with a low level of fear – inside each of us. Places only we ourselves can access.
That’s why company culture alone can’t create safety.
It can attract brave people, support us in how we deal with our own fears, and show us ways to do it (Nonviolent Communication is a great help here).
But in the end, each of us has to arrive at a feeling of “safety” on our own.
So what am I actually writing about when I write about a safe company culture?
I’m writing about courage.
- Courage (and skill) to ask questions – because I feel safe where I understand, where I have information.
- Courage (and skill) to name things that I don’t like. I love to say: “A named demon loses its power.”
- Courage not to be afraid. Not to listen so much to that internal critic. That whispering voice saying, “Better stay quiet. What will they think of you?”
- Courage to do one thing today that I didn’t dare do yesterday.
- Courage to ask for help. To know it’s okay. To show that I’m going through a tough time. And also the courage not to judge – to see each person as a whole human being.
Does it sound like a brutal test of our company culture? Maybe. But in reality, it’s how we strengthen it. How we strengthen each of us.
We’re building a strong and resilient company.
And by doing that, we’re making it truly safe.
